How To Play 'Chameleon' (Herbie Hancock Rhodes Solo)

All transcriptions (including the note-for-note score for this track) will soon be available on my website:
http://www.tomogradymusic.com
Please keep checking back - any advice on my website is welcome too!

The first time I heard this section of Chameleon was the single most formative, inspiring, life-changing musical moment in my life so far. When I was younger, I got the Headhunters CD out of the school library (a friend suggested it and the artwork looked cool). I picked the CD up and headed off to a brass ensemble rehearsal (that was the kind of music I was listening to / playing in those days). Nobody else had arrived yet so I decided to play the first track 'Chameleon' from the CD. I loved it right from the first note, but little did I know what was coming nearly 8 minutes into the tune. The synth growled into space and left the drummer on his own, to create the funkiest groove I had ever heard. The bass joined in and then came this amazing keyboard solo. It wasn't until afterwards that I realised that I'd turned the volume right up and been oblivious to the entire brass ensemble turning up (plus the conductor) and witnessing me freak out to this. I never looked back after hearing Chameleon - as soon as we got a computer and dial up internet at home, I used to pay my Mum 20p to allow me to use the internet long enough to play some of the 30s snippets of Herbie's music I could find on line - I'd then tape them direct from the computer speakers using a ghetto blaster and its internal microphone, it sounded awful! I finally managed to get hold of some of Herbie's 70's CDs and it opened a whole new world for me. In my third year at University I sold off the stage Rhodes I'd acquired after months of searching and used nearly my entire student loan to import this beautiful suitcase Rhodes from the US, all because I wanted that Herbie sound. This passage of Chameleon is incredible - Harvey Mason's drumming is the most stylish and funkiest I've ever heard, Herbie's use of the Rhodes, Clavinet, Prosoloist etc is so earthy and funky, Paul Jackson's bass is perfect and the composition itself transitions seamlessly from an out-and-out funk jam to a bridge that has compound time, 7/8 bars and really complex harmony in it. The original recording was 23 min but the producers cut it down to the album length by removing Bennie Maupin's solo. Somewhere in Sony's vaults those original tapes exist and I can't believe they haven't been released as part of the 'Headhunters' sessions - there would be so much demand for it! The Headhunters sessions consisted of 8 tracks; the 4 on the album, the Spook Who Sat By The Door theme (recorded in quintet form with Harvey Mason on drums), Butterfly, Shiftless Shuffle and one other. You can hear the first 4 minutes of 'The Spook' on side 2 of the 'Herbie Hancock Demonstrates The Rhodes Piano' flexidisc; it then fades out but the track was actually well over 10 minutes. Nobody has heard the take of 'Butterfly' with Harvey Mason on drums. 'Shiftless Shuffle' was eventually released on 'Mr Hands' despite having been recorded during the 1973 Headhunters session. The unknown track is most likely to be a version of 'Palm Grease' - if you watch the film of 'Death Wish', there is a 'Palm Grease' type groove played with Harvey Mason on drums, in the scene where Charles Bronson escapes unnoticed from his apartment in order to retrieve a gun from his office.
For reference, I used the Quadraphonic recording of Chameleon to back this video; that's why the drums and percussion sound different; there's much more reverb and the synths are higher in the mix. You should be able to pick out my Rhodes playing above all this, but there are a couple of phasing issues where my playing was marginally out of time with Herbie's... I'm only miming on the Clavinet because I'd run out of inputs on my Apogee Duet, but the suitcase Rhodes is all me, recorded direct to Logic.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this track as much as I do!

Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

Category:

Music

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• instructional
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• keyboards
• piano
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• Herbie
• Hancock
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• Rhodes
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• Chameleon
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• Bennie
• Maupin
• Bill
• Summers
• Mike
• Clark

[LKJDFDG]

I love this Rhodes solo

Great playing

[tomogradymusic]

@LKJDFDG

Thanks very much!

[tomerx4]

How u got the backing track?

[tomogradymusic]

@tomerx4

Hi there, I used the quadraphonic mix off the original LP for this particular video. I'm not up to playing the bass and drums on this as well!

[treilaux]

Insane! Great job!

[tomogradymusic]

@treilaux

Hey, thanks!

[nickast31]

Just fabulous. Huge work !! Wonderful groove you have !! I agree with you, this is one of the best solo that inspired me and so many others like you. I like the ambiance, the changes and the strings behind the rhodes which slides so well. I advice you another fantastic rhodes solo in "Tell me are you tired" from Santana album "amigos". Tell me one word about this (Tom Coster is on keyboard) !

[Lot2learn]

Outstanding!! You are right, this track and the Rhodes solo is definitely a life-changer! You're playing on this shows so much more than just knowing what notes to play, you are totally in tune with the heart and soul of this music. Major respect to you. ;-)

[ORUPRANKSTAZ]

Also, knowing what quadraphonic sound is actually makes you bad ass.

[ORUPRANKSTAZ]

Playback/backing makes everyone a pro... Smh.. -_- but you're still good

[bigdog38au]

nice work!

[RPkeez]

Straight beast!!!